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Paul Brown

On November 6, 1995, Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced he was relocating the franchise to Baltimore, Maryland after the season. Baltimore had been without an NFL franchise since the Colts' controversial relocation to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1984.

Modell had signed an agreement to lease Cleveland Municipal Stadium from the city for 25 years and assumed its operating expenses. Stadium Corporation was founded for this purpose.

But by the 1990's, Modell insisted he was deep in debt, and that the rent he lost when Major League Baseball (MLB's) Cleveland Indians moved into the new Jacobs Field after the 1993 season only exacerbated his financial difficulties. He also claimed that he'd been denied a new stadium from the city and county. However, shortly after Modell's death at age 87 on September 6, 2012, it was revealed that he actually was offered a new stadium long before he made the decision to relocate.

The reaction was immediate and profound. Numerous lawsuits, notably a breach of contract suit concerning Modell violating the terms of his stadium lease, were filed in an attempt to halt the relocation. Ultimately, an unprecedented compromise was reached whereby Modell was allowed to relocate the Cleveland Browns, but he relinquished rights to the Browns' name, colors, logos, and history; they were kept in trust for a new future Browns team — either an expansion team or an existing team which would relocate to Cleveland — and the Browns' operations were suspended for three seasons.

During this period, Cleveland Municipal Stadium was demolished and Cleveland Browns Stadium (now FirstEnergy Stadium) was built on the site. The late Al Lerner, a former friend and former business partner of Art Modell's, was approved as owner. Modell's franchise was named the Baltimore Ravens.